Door systems may include a fixed door frame mounted to the wall of a building, and a door body, slab or door element (“door element”) supported on a set of hinges for swinging movement relative to the door frame. The door frame may be formed primarily of metal, wood or other suitable structural materials. The door frame may include a pair of door jambs extending vertically from the building floor to a head at top of the door frame. The door jambs may include a hinge jamb where the set of hinges is located, and a strike jamb opposite the hinge jamb. The strike jamb may include door latch hardware for engagement with mating door latch hardware fixed in the door element, opposite the set of hinges. The head is located at the top of the door frame and extends between the door jambs. The door frame, door element, or both may include weather-stripping to reduce or prevent heat transfer through the door system, and wind and precipitation entering the building through spaces or gaps between the door frame and door element. In some configurations, the door jambs and head of the door frame may comprise elongated, hollow profiles formed of metal, such as by extrusion. In some configurations, the door element may comprise a metal frame assembly and an insulating glass unit or pane mounted in the metal frame assembly.
The door frame may include a door threshold assembly (“door threshold assembly”) extending between the door jambs at the building floor. Door threshold assemblies may be of various configurations, and may have different components and cross-sectional profiles. In one configuration of an exterior door, a door threshold assembly is configured to extend the width of the door jambs between the building interior and exterior. Door threshold assemblies for exterior doors may be configured to prevent or reduce ingress of precipitation, such as rain, in the bottom edge clearance gap between the door threshold assembly and bottom edge of the door element when the door is closed. Door threshold assemblies for exterior doors may be configured to shed precipitation to outside of the building.
Door systems may include a door which swings inward (i.e., in-swing door) or which swings outward (i.e., out-swing door). Door threshold assemblies for use with an in-swing door may differ from door threshold assemblies for use with an out-swing door, even where the door frame and door element are otherwise identical. Building construction contractors, in order to avoid shortage and delays, thus must determine the door element swing direction of each door and order different door threshold assemblies for the in-swing and out-swing directions, or maintain excess stock of door threshold assemblies for both swing directions. If door swing direction is not fixed in the building construction plans, the contractor either must delay ordering door thresholds until a swing direction is selected, or order excess stock of door threshold assemblies in two configurations, one compatible with an in-swing door and the other compatible with an out-swing door.
For reasons stated above and for other reasons which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for improved door threshold assemblies and door systems including same.